


Coded Connection

by TundrainAfrica



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Aeleus & Ansem & Braig & Dilan & Even & Ienzo (Kingdom Hearts) Friendship, F/M, Gen, Kairi & Riku (Kingdom Hearts) Friendship, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Protective Riku (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 13:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18811861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TundrainAfrica/pseuds/TundrainAfrica
Summary: Post KH3. If Kairi keeps Sora's memory alive, he'll eventually call out to her right? Then it will be her turn to find him, hold him and never let go.





	Coded Connection

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for the KH art exchange for @redbirthday on discord. She asked for "domestic fluff, repairing radiant garden, supporting each other and moving on." I only managed one chapter but I hope to continue this anyway when I have some time.

Everything started with white. From darkness, from oblivion came a white flash that within seconds exploded into colors.

_ Orange _

_ Red _

_ Yellow _

Kairi kept herself busy identifying the colors that appeared before her before tones lightened, others darkened and textures started to form a face in front of her. Her body reacted before she could even name the face in front of her.

Her hair stood on end. Her body froze

Kairi didn’t even have the time to notice the tear that slid down her cheek or say his name. Within seconds he was gone.

Maybe it was from shock or maybe just a denial within her but the tear that slid down her cheek was the last tear she shed since the disappearance of Sora.

She did not feel like she was mourning at all. There were no five stages of grief. There was no positive healthy sounding acceptance either.

Kairi was driven. Just like a year ago when she couldn’t go back to the island because she couldn’t remember Sora, Kairi could not see herself back in Destiny Islands. It made her feel like she wasn’t doing anything, like she was bound to wait again.

_ If I wait again, I’ll end up losing him again. _ She couldn’t wait for Sora anymore to fall into her hands. She had to grasp him and make sure never to let go again.

She needed to keep moving so when the chance to grasp comes, she could reach out and pull him out from wherever he had fallen into. The drive was strong and she knew she had to channel it somewhere else. With Riku's referral and advice, she ended up volunteering for the restoration committee of Radiant Garden.

She was building. She was painting. She was doing any manual labor assigned to her that day. Every activity, would get her closer to Sora. Somewhere inside her, she knew it would.

She relied on Riku for intel. Her friend would disappear for days on end, looking for clues on Sora’s whereabouts.

One week into her volunteering, Riku came for a visit. He was still using the gummi ship and Kaori met him by the hangar in Radiant Garden before they made their way to one of the cafes that had just happened.

Riku was silent as they made their way there, looking to be deep in thought. They have been friends long enough for Kaori to know, silences with him were far from awkward.

As soon as they ordered food, Riku shook his head. He was answering the question Kairi had wanted since she first made eye contact with him as he disembarked the ship. “It's just been three weeks since he disappeared. Maybe he's sleeping or something. Knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he slept again for 2 years.” He joked lightly.

The mood stayed sullen. Maybe because Riku had no talent in making jokes. Maybe because they both felt that glaring hole that could only be filled by Sora.

It hurt constantly but when Riku mentioned him and her thoughts naturally flew to that picture of her perky dark haired boy with a smile that faded away too quickly, it stung like water on a flesh wound.

“You don't need to apologize. It's my fault not yours, that he ended up…”

_ Gone? In an unknown place? Disappeared? _ Which word hurt the least? Which felt the most hopeful? It may have been superstition on her part but Kairi felt like any sign she showed of giving up on him could make a reality the unthinkable.

“When he's got the time, he'll definitely leave something and it's my job to find it.”

Kairi had wanted to ask Riku to take her with him a long time ago. The last time she had wanted to get into the action though, Sora had to step in to save her then he ended up disappearing. There was a mutual understanding there.

Riku was quick to start on his sandwich as soon as it arrived while Kairi played with the straw of her smoothie. She looked down at her hands, the blisters and scars that accumulated from the sparrings she had with Lea and the handle of the keyblade on her palm had faded to lines only a little darker than her skin tone.

She had worked hard to get to where she was but after what happened in the keyblade graveyard she accepted that she was not cut out for life on the battlefield.

“I know I can't go with you but.. I still wanna help…” Kairi admitted.

Riku's face softened as he looked to his childhood friend. “You know, I still think there is some way you can help me.” He pointed to her chest. “Sora's heart is connected to yours right?”

Kairi put her hand to her chest. Long ago, her heart had made itself at home within Sora. As she remembered that, she thought that could have been a resident why it hurt from Sora's loss. Her heart was missing him too.

“If you keep thinking about him, keeping him alive within you, he'll eventually hear it and he’ll call out to you.”

Sora had called out to her once. She didn't know it was him then. Would it feel like that when she calls out to him? Would he know it's her?

It would hurt to spend her nights thinking about him for the sake of a remote possibility that her thoughts would call out to him and he would call back. She saw him everywhere she went. Even before Riku had mentioned the possible connection, it had already been habit. She pushed herself to see him more, call out to him with her heart. She had done it before when he was a heartless, when she had forgotten him. How could this be any different?

It seemed different. It particularly hurt. It felt hopeless. She felt like she was calling out to a wall. Sometimes as she built, painted, delivered goods, she would try to talk to Sora. She spoke allowed to make it feel Ria, so she’d feel the effort herself. When she calls out, does her heart call out too?

“Sora huh?” She looked up from the wall she was painting over to see a burly man with red hair. He dropped a paint can in front of her and held out his hand. “Aeleus. Ansem the Wise asked me to drop some extra supplies for the volunteers.” He added.

“Kairi.” Kairi returned the gesture. “You mentioned Sora?” 

“He was a hero.”

“ _ Is  _ a hero.” Kairi corrected. Any other time she may have been affected by the phrasing of that statement. The man looked sincere though and Kairi only felt the need to correct him for the sake of integrity of information. 

Aeleus seemed to have accepted the correction as he needed. “You were talking to him?” 

Kairi looked away sheepishly. It had seemed only natural at first that she called out to him but having that habit called out by someone made it seem almost eccentric and Kairi was starting to feel self conscious.  “He’s missing and since our hearts were connected once, maybe it would help if I tried to connect to him.” Kairi watched her words carefully.

“That’s an admirable attitude. I wish you all the best. We’re praying for his safe return as well.” Aeleus final greeting was sincere. He looked like he would have wanted to say more. As Kairi saw though, he was still carrying a bucket of supplies in his right hand. Of course, he’d be busy with the restoration as well. 

He didn’t come back. Kairi focused herself with her work and the small talk she had made fell to the back of her mind. 

It was two days later, after she and her fellow teammates had finished the wall of when of the castles,  when she was reassigned to the laboratories.

She reported to the main office early that morning. She recognized the man on the desk as Ansem the Wise. The last time she had seen him was when she was kidnapped and held in the Castle that Never Was. He hadn’t aged since then. 

“You’re looking well. Aeleus told me about meeting you just a few days ago. You’re trying to call out to Sora.” 

A wise man, a scientist felt the need to take the time to talk to her about her own attempt at calling out to Sora. For the right reasons, Kairi felt hope well up inside her. It felt like a breakthrough. 

“We’ve been doing some research as well on the Power of Waking and your own efforts could be of use to us.” Ansem the Wise opened the drawer, took out a small box and handed it to Kairi. “The king sent me a copy of the journals Jiminy had written during Sora’s adventures.”

Kairi took the box and opened it to find a chip inside. She took it out and held it up in front of her. It was just wide enough to cover the whole tip of her finger. It almost felt unbelievable that it could hold everything she had missed and every story Sora had tried to tell her all about with the little time they had together to no avail. 

“A data Sora exists within there believe it or not.” Ansem added. He smiled, as if he noticed the wonder and awe in her face, wanting to augment it a little more.  “Maybe he could be the key to the one you’ve been trying to call out too. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I kinda rushed the ending since this is already pretty late. I hope to hear what people have to say though! Thank you for reading!


End file.
